Historic cemetery’s ‘friends’ to lend a hand

Some of the city’s most longest-tenured residents are about to get a few more friends with a plan for the future of Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery.

With the formation of the new Friends of the Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery Committee, the city is intending to renew its upkeep and restoration obligations to Kirksville’s oldest public cemetery as the final resting place for many local historical figures.

The city has focused on the cemetery ground’s upkeep during the past two years since taking over the maintenance from a contracted service.

With Public Works now responsible for mowing and maintenance, work has included removal of dead and damaged trees and restoration of severely damaged headstones and the hope is that with a new city commission, future efforts will include fundraising and support for the cemetery.

“There is a great need for funding to help restore and preserve the Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery,” said City Manager Mari Macomber in a staff report to the Council before it approved the committee’s creation earlier this month. “The ravages of time, weather and, unfortunately, occasional vandalism topples monuments, collapses tombs and wreaks havoc on the cemetery.”

While the Friends group is not scheduled to meet for the first time until March 29 in City Hall, its members will be charged with establishing the best way to fund repairs to both the grounds and the headstones and memorials.

“We will have some capital improvements we would like to begin planning,” said Public Works Director John Buckwalter. “It will be discussed with the commission but at the least, at minimum we’d like to replace the brick veneer on the main gate and like to add some type of decorative fence on main entrance.”

Other improvements could include border fences and additional gravesite marking and way-finding within the cemetery.

The focus will also include the records system and historical markers in the cemetery, with City Clerk and the cemetery’s Custodian of Records Vicki Brumbaugh applying recently for veterans gravesite markers for the cemetery.

“I’m thrilled we’re taking steps to bring improvements to the cemetery,” she said. “There’s just so much history there.”

Brumbaugh has focused on the cemetery’s veterans, many of whom served in the Civil War, and pursued grant opportunities that have provided for veterans’ markers on the grave sites.

In all, the cemetery has more than 3,600 individuals buried in its rolling hills.

It’s been an intensive process of researching and verifying military enrollment and actual grave sites, and another effort the Friends committee is expected to assist.

“With the Civil War markers, they’re veterans. They deserve to have their graves marked,” Brumbaugh said.

The cemetery’s first burial was reportedly a traveler that had stopped through Kirksville and died. He was buried in a tract of land that would go on to become the city’s cemetery.

Jesse Kirk, for whom Kirksville was named, was also buried near where the traveler was buried in 1864 and with the area’s “long ridges, deep valleys and forest trees” creating a “pleasing picturesqueness” as described in Violette’s History of Adair County, Kirksville Cemetery was born.

The cemetery would go on to be renamed Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery after multiple plat additions.

The last plot purchase was a month ago. Plots are available for sale through the City of Kirksville.

Prominent people buried at Forest-Llewellyn

- First burial in 1845 of “a traveler.”

- Jesse Kirk, for whom Kirksville was named, was buried August 1846.

- A memorial to the 26 Confederate soldiers buried during the Battle of Kirksville was established in 1862.

- Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO in 1917. Founder of osteopathic medicine and A.T. Still University

- Samuel M. Pickler, former mayor and alumnus and faculty member of Truman State University. Pickler Memorial Library was named in his honor.

- Includes former state senators, judges and 13 Kirksville mayors

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